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Canker sores are not contagious and will go away on its own.
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But it may take anywhere from 7 to 10 days or sometimes up to 3 weeks before they disappear.

Until then, we will use over the counter measures to take care of the pain, speed healing and prevent any infection.

Here are a few of the self-care options available to take care of canker sore.

See which will work best for your child's situation.

 

Boy with cankersores in the mouth


Pain relief

Benzocaine:

To numb the sore. But wears off after a few hours.

The best approach is to apply ice to the sore for a few minutes, then apply the benzocaine gel.

Prefer gel over solution for longer effect.

 

Speed healing

Carbamide peroxide 10%

  • Removes unhealthy tissue 
  • cleanse and soothe
  • speeds up natural healing.
     

Milk of Magnesia

Daub milk of magnesia on the affected area and surrounding.


Benadryl + Maalox/Mylanta

Have child swiss and spit with equal parts of Benadryl and Maalox if he or she can.


Baking soda paste

Make a paste of baking soda and water.
Daub the paste over the canker sore with a Q-tip and let it dry.

 

Canker cover

May benefit a few people. But may:

  • leave a sticky mess in your child's mouth
  • make canker sore bigger initially
  • create a burning sensation that can last for a long time
  • irritate the gums
  • affect the teeth because it may end up sticking to the teeth rather than the sore
  • hard to take off

For these reasons, we do not recommend it if your child has not tried it before. 

 

Worth trying

  • Powdered alum on the sore.
     
  • Allow peppermint Altoids to dissolve on the sore.
    Better than using canker cover actually.

    •  

 

Prevention

If it occurs frequently, you can try these for prevention:

  • Avoid toothpaste with sodium laurel sulfate.    
    Use Sensodyne, TheraBreath, Biotene, Rembrandt instead.

 

Last updated by pharmacist on : 02/16/2016

 

 

Know this about the safe and effective use of this recommendation.
Article photo

Our disclaimer

  • Recommendation is the opinion of a registered US Pharmacist currently practicing as a community pharmacist.
  • Recommendation is not an attempt to discuss all possible self care or treatment approach to this health challenge.
  • The responsibility of the recommending pharmacist is limited to this question:
    "If a patient presents with these symptoms, what will you recommend and why?"
    It is not an attempt to publish an article on the treatment of any condition. Just what would you tell a patient who present with so and so in the usual course of your practice.
  • The pharmacist image presented in this article may or may not be the actual image of the authoring pharmacist.
    Because we insist on using articles written by currently practicing community pharmacists, these pharmacists may choose to remain anonymous especially if they are employed by an employer to avoid being pressured to recommend a particular product to drive sales.
  • Please read the policies and terms of use for self-care OTC, selfcarepharmacist.com and it's affiliates by clicking on the button below.

 

 

 

 

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